The Roommate by Kiersten Modglin (best way to read books .TXT) 📕

my hand under my nose. “I'm sorry to be dragging you in the middle of everything. You don't need this right now."

"Hey, don't worry about that," he said, resting a hand on my arm for a second before pulling it away. "That's what friends are for. I'm happy to help you work through all of this. I’ve had my heart broken before, and I was a much bigger mess than you are right now. I thought I'd never get over it. I totally get how you're feeling. Probably better than most people."

"Really?" It was hard for me to picture Elias heartbroken.

“I’m thirty-two and single. You think I haven’t had my share of heartbreak?”

I couldn’t help smiling as he read my mind. “I guess that’s true.”

"Yeah. And hey, you know what helped in the end? Moving on to other things I enjoyed. Video games, Sudoku, a weekend away at a Comic-Con. What do you enjoy doing?"

I thought for a moment, unable to answer the question. "I have no idea." I hadn't been able to spend a day doing anything I enjoyed in years. I'd forgotten what hobbies were.

"Well, why don't we invite a few people over. We can have a bit of fun and get your mind off everything for the night. Everybody relaxes after a few drinks. You've been working so hard. You deserve a night to decompress. Seriously, between work and doing everything Addy asks of you, you hardly eat, hardly sleep. You're working yourself to the bone to fix things, and if she can't see what a great guy you are, it's her loss."

I looked up then, aware of the tears on my cheeks. Elias didn't acknowledge them. He just waited for me to respond. "Thanks," I said finally. "I'm just not sure I'm up to doing anything tonight. I should probably catch up on work."

He twisted his mouth, obviously wanting to say something.

"I know, I shouldn't be working."

"It's not that. I mean, no, you shouldn't, but…I should've told you, but I didn't think it would matter. I kind of already invited people over when I thought you weren't going to be home tonight. A few friends." He paused. "I can cancel if you’re not up to it."

"No. No, of course not. Don't be silly. I'll probably just try and catch up on some sleep anyway. Don't cancel on my account."

"I really couldn’t relax with my friends knowing you were having such a lousy night in your room alone. Won't you just try and have fun tonight? I think you could really use it. And, don’t worry. It's just a few of the people I game with. We'll be drinking a few beers and playing all night. Nothing too wild."

I thought for a moment. Elias was probably the only person on my side of things in the world, so I didn't want to squander his loyalty. "Okay, yeah. I can always use a beer."

"Attaboy," he said, patting my shoulder. "If there's anything I'm an expert at, it's being heartbroken. You couldn't have asked for someone more experienced to help you get through this. And you will. You'll get through it."

I offered him a small, appreciative smile. Strange as he was, Elias was just what I needed; he was right about that. As he sank back onto the couch and flipped on the TV, he smiled at me encouragingly, and I promised myself I would do whatever I could to play the part that night.

I needed to have fun for Elias.

Soon, he might be all I had left.

Chapter Sixteen

Elias' friends showed up at half past six, and they were nothing like I'd expected.

He'd invited four of them. Stephanie had pixie-cut black hair and wore combat boots as well as an oversized, olive green military-style jacket. She had a piercing in the center space between her upper lip and nose and wore thick eyeliner and dark, purple lipstick.

Ariel was less eccentric, with light brown hair that rested just above her shoulders, a hoodie, Converse, and no makeup. She smelled of fried food.

Mac, on the other hand, smelled like cigarettes. He was wafer-thin, like Elias, and had shaggy blond hair and an eyebrow piercing.

Garth was soft spoken, while the others were loud, and he wore his hair neatly trimmed, though his Nirvana T-shirt and skinny jeans were stained up, and I was pretty sure he was high on something other than life.

All in all, they were nothing like Elias, and from all I knew about him, and how often he'd told me he didn't really have friends, they all seemed to know each other quite well. They crammed onto the two small couches in the living room, leaving me with the executive, rolling computer chair Elias had pulled from his bedroom.

They seemed fascinated by me, asking questions about my work and my marriage without regard for privacy or civility. At least they seemed to share that trait with their friend.

A few beers in, and everyone, myself included, had seemed to loosen up quite a bit. At some point, Stephanie came over and sat on the ground near my legs as we watched Garth and Elias facing off in some sort of combat round on the video game.

Mac lit up a cigarette, not bothering to ask if it would bother anyone, and blew his smoke into the room. It took me back to my college days: a smoky room, drinks spread out across the table, and bodies everywhere.

Stephanie reached over, playing with the hem of my pants. "So, what sort of things does a booking agent do, exactly?" she asked, having to shout over the game.

I leaned down closer to her, solely so we could hear each other better, and said, "Mostly book venues for my clients, find them gigs, and schedule appearances. Occasionally, I'll sign us new clients, if I'm downtown and overhear someone I think is talented, but that's rare."

"It sounds so exciting. So you actually get to work with celebrities?"

One side of my mouth lifted into an easy